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Property Record

626 N MAIN ST

Historic Name:
Lafayette County Courthouse
Other Name:
Lafayette County Courthouse
Reference Number:
16243

Property Location

Location (Address)
626 N MAIN ST
County
Lafayette
City/Village
Darlington
Township
Unincorporated community
Town
Range
Direction
Section
Quarter Section
Quarter Quarter Section

Property Features

Year Built
1905
Additions
Survey Date
1976
Historic Use
Architectural Style
Structural System
Wall Material
Limestone
Architect
Frank W. Kinney And Menno S. Detweiler
Other Buildings On Site
Demolished
No
Demolished Date
Additional Comments
A 'site file' exists for this property. It contains additional information such as correspondence, newspaper clippings, or historical information. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the Wisconsin Historical Society, State Historic Preservation Office. ORNATE INTERIOR WITH IRON BALUSTRADES, MARBLE, IONIC COLUMNS, STAINED GLASS WINDOWS, AND CUPOLA OCULUS. THIS THREE-STORY, NEO-CLASSICAL INFLUENCED, RECTANGULAR COURTHOUSE STRUCTURE IS CONSTRUCTED OF BUFF LIMESTONE WITH RUSTICATED QUOINS ON AN ELEVATED FOUNDATION AND WITH A CLASSICAL BALUSTRADE AROUND THE TOP OF THE BUILDING THE ROOF IS HIPPED WITH A TALL STAGED CUPOLA THAT HAS SMALL IONIC COLUMNS FRAMING FOUR SIX OVER SIX WINDOWS ON THE FIRST LEVEL, LOUVERED PANELS ON THE SECOND OCTAGONAL SHAPED LEVEL AND AN OCTAGONAL ROOFED CUPOLA OF COPPER AT THE TOP. SETH THOMAS CLOCK FACES TOP EACH WINDOW. BROAD STAIRS LEAD TO THE IONIC DISTYLE INANTIS FRAMED, PROJECTING PEDIMENTED PORTICO LOCATED ON THE EAST OF THE STRUCTURE OVER THE ENTRANCE. IN THE INLABLATURE ABOVE THE ENTRANCE, THE WORDS "LAFAYETTE COUNTY COURTHOUSE" ARE INCISED INTO THE STONE. IN THE PEDIMENT, A RELIEF SCULPTURE OF MATHEW MURPHY, THE FINANCIAL BENEFACTOR OF THE COURTHOUSE, IS SURROUNDED BY CLASSICAL ORNAMENT. THE INTERIOR OF THE COURTHOUSE ORIGINALLY DECORATED BY O.J. OYEN OF LA CROSSE, WI, HAS MANY CLASSICAL DETAILS, STAINED GLASS, MARBLE AND TILE SURFACES, A LIGHT WELL THAT HAS BEEN EXCEPTIONALLY WELL PRESERVED THROUGHOUT THE YEARS.
Bibliographic References
CORNERSTONE. WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL 7/24/1994. A. BUILDING PLAQUE. B. LAFAYETTE CO. FILES, HISTORIC PRESERVATION DIVISION, STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF WI. Take a Walk on Main Street: Historic Walking Tours in Wisconsin's Main Street Communities, Wisconsin Main Street Program, 1998. From Mining to Farm Fields to Ethnic Communities: Buildings and Landscapes of Southwestern Wisconsin. Ed. Anna Vemer Andrzejewski , Arnold R. Alanen and Sarah Fayen Scarlett for “Nature + City: Vernacular Buildings and Landscapes of the Upper Midwest,” 2012 Meeting of the Vernacular Architecture Forum (VAF) in Madison, Wisconsin. Perrin, Richard W. E., Historic Wisconsin Architecture, First Revised Edition (Milwaukee, 1976).

National And State Register Of Historic Places Listings

National/State Register Listing Name
Lafayette County Courthouse
National Register Listing Date
Dec 22, 1978
State Register Listing Date
Jan 01, 1989
Contributing
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Attribution

For a credit line: Wisconsin Historical Society, Creator, Title, Unique Identifier. 

The Unique Identifier can be found at the top or bottom of the page for each item. The name of a downloaded file is NOT the unique identifier.

For bibliographic citations please consult the UW-Madison Libraries Citation Research Guide to ensure compliance with appropriate style guidelines.

 

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National or State Regi...
626 Main St.

626 Main St.

78000114

Located in Darlington, Lafayette County

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Postcards
Main Street

Main Street

1905

View down center of unpaved Main Street with storefronts on both sides. A group of people are on the sidewalk on the right. Caption reads: "Main Street, Darlington, Wis."

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Photographs
Lafayette County Courthouse and Jail

Lafayette County Courthouse and Jail

1935

View of the Lafayette County courthouse, with the jail in the background.

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